Home Kitchen

Interview with Michael David Ries, MD, author of “The Joint Kitchen”

Dr Michael Ries is an orthopedic surgeon and arthroplasty fellowship director at the Reno Orthopedic Clinic. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT, and his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, and has been in practice for more than 25 years.

Dr. Ries has a practice limited to hip and knee arthroplasty surgery and the treatment of arthritic conditions of the hip and knee. He was on the full-time faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, from 1997 to 2013, where he was professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of arthroplasty. During this time he also regularly participated in clinical and laboratory research. Dr. Ries has published 210 peer-reviewed journal articles and 52 book chapters on topics related to clinical outcomes and biomaterials used in hip and knee replacement.

What most sets D. Ries apart from his peer group is that he has helped develop several hip and knee replacements and is the inventor of 45 US patents for hip and knee replacement devices. He is also a father of three active children, husband to a beautiful Russian wife, avid skier, and home handyman.

Welcome Michael, and thanks for being with us today! Why don’t you start by telling our readers a bit about your journey to becoming a published author?

I am an orthopedic surgeon and most of my career has been in academic medicine. That means I travel and speak at many medical conferences. Topics presented and discussed at these meetings deal with medical issues and typically do not include new hip and knee replacement inventions. For the last five or six years, some of the younger surgeons who have attended these meetings have asked me how to develop ideas to improve hip and knee replacement devices. When I answered these questions, I noticed that some of the non-physicians in the audience seemed very interested in the discussion, and I thought that perhaps others might be interested in reading a book about it.

What is the joint kitchen on?

This book is a story about the origin of ideas for inventions. He describes how wonderfully efficient normal hip and knee joints really are, and why we can’t make hip and knee replacements as perfect as the normal joints we were born with.

Then, a doctor who was simply cleaning the kitchen, preparing food, opening a bottle of wine, unscrewing the lid of a jar, riding a ski lift, fishing, skiing, or watching snowflakes fall, drew similar images on a paper that became patents for new fashion and technology products. knee replacements History suggests that when our minds are in a peaceful state of calm, the problem-solving and creative parts of our brains can magically connect and create a new idea.

what inspired you to write the joint kitchen?

Over the years, I have helped develop several hip and knee replacement devices. I didn’t really know why the ideas for these inventions came to me, but I knew exactly where I was and what I was doing when so many of them happened. It turned out that where he was and what he was doing were directly related to the images that became new hip and knee replacement patents. I never really thought anyone would be interested in this, but every now and then someone would ask me how I got all these ideas. When I responded with some simple examples, it seemed to make a lot of sense to them. I believe this process happens to all of us on various levels, and I hoped that writing about my story would inspire others to develop their ideas.

What a great title, obviously inspired by your revelations in the kitchen! How did everyday kitchen/food items spark your ideas and when did you realize that your kitchen was such a great source of inspiration?

I’m not a very good cook, but I end up in the kitchen a lot, usually to make something quick and easy to eat for my kids or myself, usually in the morning. It’s kind of a very peaceful and quiet time, even if what you need to do that day is in the back of your mind. It seems that’s when ideas come to you, when you’re not trying to think of one.

The whole process of taking an ordinary orange and seeing its potential as part of a new hip replacement procedure, creating and developing the idea through drawings, etc. requires great artistic expression. Tell us a bit about your artistic nature. Did you consider yourself an artist?

I really admire and respect artists. I don’t consider myself very one, but I like to take photos mainly of landscapes or nature more than of people. I’ve also been to many medical conferences, and when I see a slide full of words, my mind boggles, but when I see a simple diagram or picture that makes sense, I get it. There are many photos in the joint kitchen.

The subtitle of his book: “A Handbook for Orthopedic Inventors and Scaredy Cats Facing Knee or Hip Replacement” indicates that the information is ideal for doctors, inventors, and people who need a knee or hip replacement. How does your book cater to such different audiences?

The book is about how ideas for inventions can be created, but since it specifically describes medical devices, I think healthcare professionals in the field of orthopedics would have a lot in common with the story. the joint kitchen It also shows how the normal hip and knee work, and the differences between normal joints and replaced joints. That’s something that anyone considering a joint replacement, and perhaps her friends and family, generally want to know. There’s also a description of how our minds think by connecting images, which I think is similar to what scientists and academics who study the brain have found. I hope those smart people can also find the joint kitchen useful for better understanding how we create ideas.

What was your biggest challenge writing? the joint kitchen?

Writing the joint kitchen It wasn’t too hard – I just put pictures of what I was normally doing in the kitchen and the corresponding patent drawings side by side and they were more or less the same. The biggest challenge was getting over my fear that people wouldn’t like it. I guess most authors probably go through that, so for me the issue was whether or not to post it for all to see.

What do you like to do when you are not working, inventing new medical advances and writing?

I really treasure every moment I have with my family. We do a lot of things together, like skiing, hiking, and spending time outside. Some of the best times for us have been traveling in RVs to new destinations we’ve never been to before. My wife and kids also put up with me going away for a week or so every year to go on a ski, golf, or fishing trip with my friends.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received about writing, inventing, or life in general?

When I’m not sure if an idea is worth pursuing, the best advice I’ve ever had is to go ahead and do it. That’s the only way you’ll find out.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors and/or inventors?

For inventors, that’s what the last two chapters of the joint kitchen they’re about to. Describes a way to see if your idea works, protect it, and make it a reality. Many books have been written on the basics of filing a patent and starting a business or selling your idea, but mine is more of a story about figuring out your own path forward.

For writers, I may not be the best at giving advice as I’m relatively new to this. However, there is much in common with publishing and invention, and the same challenges that inventors face also apply to writers.

What’s next, do you have another project in the works?

Not yet. I want to see how this one goes – so far so good, but I have some ideas about another book. Writing for me is like having an idea for a new invention: you just have to let it happen. So we will have to wait and see.

Where can readers connect with you on social media to learn more about the joint kitchen?

I’m on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and an easy way to get started is the author’s website www.michaelriesmd.com.

What kind of information is available on your website?

There is a description of the content in the joint kitchen with a great little video showing what it’s all about. There’s also information about me, links to my patents, and some recent book chapters and magazine articles I’ve written.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Writing and publishing a book wasn’t something I planned to do or was on my wish list, but I’m glad I did. I’ve received a lot of nice feedback from people who’ve read it and would highly recommend doing it to anyone considering telling their story to others.

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